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T H E O N LY M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E W O R L D W I D E V- T W I N PA R T S , A C C E S S O RY A N D P E R F O R M A N C E I N D U S T RY
15th annual V-Twin Expo
to see exhibitor growth?
ITH the 15th annual
V-Twin Expo at
Cincinnati, Ohio, fast
approaching, final
preparations are underway for
an event that many in the
industry will be hoping will be an
event that will show that the
wider economic recovery is
starting to trickle down
convincingly into significant
custom parts and accessory
revenue growth.
that the show continues to attract
representation from pretty much all
the 'core-competency' vendors in the
market, and that there may be some
signs of increased vendor confidence.
"There are very few, if any, of what
you would term the principal 'players'
in the market who will not be at VTwin Expo again in 2015, one way or
another. Many continue to manage
their booth size and other expo related
spends carefully, but if anything, we
are going to have a few more new and
returning exhibitors this time than
drop-outs.
"That is a good sign for the show,
but above all it is a good sign for the
market. The show has served the
W
specialty interests of the custom vtwin market through thick and thin,"
says Betlach.
"This will be the 15th year that VTwin Expo will have reflected the
highly specialized nature of custom
market businesses, and there's no
question that V-Twin Expo will remain
the primary market-specific expo for
years to come.
"If we are now going to start seeing
stabilization in vendor and visitor
numbers, then that gives the market a
platform on which to build.
"I have long maintained that for so
long as people want to ride Harleys
and build custom bikes, there will be a
need for an independent business
opportunity such as that provided by
V-Twin Expo.
"Where else can dealers meet so
many of the vendors they could be
buying from in such a concentrated
way than at a show that is built for that
purpose?"
Betlach's question is rhetorical of
course, and it is the closest he comes
to alluding to the ongoing attempts by
other show organizers to stake a claim
to V-Twin Expo's turf, and the other
pressures, show and otherwise, that
the classic B2B expo model is under in
North America.
V-Twin Expo has now successfully
adjusted its timings to accommodate
the two biggest issues that vendor
feedback provided. The timing now
avoids the distractions of Superbowl
Sunday, always the fist Sunday of
February, and the decision to abandon
the Monday has been proven to be in
everyone's best interests in the context
of recessionary pressures.
The 2015 V-Twin Expo will open its
doors at 9:00 am on Saturday February
7th (to 6:00 pm) at the downtown
Duke Energy Convention Center, Elm
Street, Cincinnati, and 9:00 am
Sunday February 8th (to 5:00 pm).
The 2014 World Championship of Custom Bike Building saw two bikes entered
that used car engines. North Coast Custom’s ‘Fiat Abarth’ made the top three in the Freestyle class
JAN 2015
ISSUE #186
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